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Diagnosing active tuberculosis based only on signs and symptoms is difficult, [99] as is diagnosing the disease in those who have a weakened immune system. [100] A diagnosis of TB should, however, be considered in those with signs of lung disease or constitutional symptoms lasting longer than two weeks. [100]
The medical history includes obtaining the symptoms of pulmonary TB: productive, prolonged cough of three or more weeks, chest pain, and hemoptysis. Systemic symptoms include low grade remittent fever, chills, night sweats, appetite loss, weight loss, easy fatiguability, and production of sputum that starts out mucoid but changes to purulent. [1]
Management of tuberculosis refers to techniques and procedures utilized for treating tuberculosis (TB), or simply a treatment plan for TB. The medical standard for active TB is a short course treatment involving a combination of isoniazid , rifampicin (also known as Rifampin), pyrazinamide , and ethambutol for the first two months.
Miliary tuberculosis is a form of tuberculosis that is characterized by a wide dissemination into the human body and by the tiny size of the lesions (1–5 mm). Its name comes from a distinctive pattern seen on a chest radiograph of many tiny spots distributed throughout the lung fields with the appearance similar to millet seeds—thus the term "miliary" tuberculosis.
The symptoms of abdominal tuberculosis depends on the sites of involvement. The most common symptoms and signs of abdominal tuberculosis are abdominal pain, ascites and intestinal obstruction. Other clinical features are fever, altered bowel habits, loss of weight and a feeling of lump in the abdomen. [ 5 ]
Active tuberculosis begins when the bacteria starts developing, and the signs and symptoms begin to be visible. Although the TB bacteria can infect any organ (e.g., kidney, lymph nodes, bones, joints) in the body, the disease commonly occurs in the lungs. [ 9 ]
The treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is essential to controlling and eliminating TB by reducing the risk that TB infection will progress to disease. Latent tuberculosis will convert to active tuberculosis in 10% of cases (or more in cases of immune compromised patients).
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), also known as Koch's bacillus, is a species of pathogenic bacteria in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis. [1] [2] First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, M. tuberculosis has an unusual, waxy coating on its cell surface primarily due to the presence of mycolic acid.